Mining machinery



S. E. ODELL AND F. L. CLIFT.

MINING MACHINERY. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, ms.

1 ,41 3 ,28 9'. Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

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tqa/Leh/E. Odell AND fia zZL- db /5 3& attouw S. E. ODELL AND F. L. CLIFT. MINING MACHINERY.

APPLICATION FILED IULY25, 1919.

1,4]. 3,289. Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

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a. kw Cutaway UNITED sri s'rErHnN E. on Lr; AND rnANK n. CLIFT, or BELLINGHAM, w sHING'roN.

MI ING MACHINERY,

' Application filed J uly 25 3 To all whom itmay 0mm; V I

Besit known that we, STEPHEN E. ODELL and FRANK L. CLIFT, citizens of the United States, residing at Bellingham, in the county of Whatcom and State of Washington, have invented certain new and :useful Improvements in Mining. Machinery; and we. do hereby declare the following. to be a full, clear, and exact description 'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled. in

the art to which it appertains to make and usethesamey This invention relates to mining machinery and has for an object to provide a machine and method combining in its operation the features and results ofplaoer mining and the amalgamation process.

A further object of the invention is to provide' a machine whereby the ores or'mineral bearing earth may be broken up into finer particles and the valuable metals separated andconserved and the wastema'tte'r elimie nated either without water or with a water supply in the nature of a running stream or.

a still body of water.

' A further objectof the provide a light easily transported and cheaply organized structure adaptable for prospectors use for placer mining, and amalgamation processin quartz mill work.

With these and other'objects in viewthe device comprises certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed In the drawings, I 1 y Figure 1 is a view of the structure partly submerged in water showing the housing and a part of the rotating pan in diametrical section and the supporting members inside elevation. l

' Figure 2 isa View in section of the modification of one of the parts. v

Figure 3 is a top plan view with the drivin shafts in transverse section.

igure. 4 is a view of one type ofrotating pan. v I

of another type of'rotati'ng pan; 7

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in section .of another type of rotating pan. 1

Figure 7 is a View ofthe amalgam pan converted into, a retort. V

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of another type of rotatingpan. Figure 9 is :a fragmentary sectional view of another type of rotating pan.

Specification of Letters Patent.

current.

invention is to Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in section PatentedApr. 18', 1922.

,19 19.- S rial No. 313,362.

Like charactersof reference indicate cor-V responding views.

parts throughout the several The improved implement which forms the subject matter of the present application comprises a foot or base 1;, above whichrises a supporting standard or shaft,

cated at Figure 1 so that the-hollow shaft 7 may rotate upon the shaft 2.

' For thefpurpose of drivingthe hollow shaft A-a drive of any approved type as for 7 i instance the belt 6 from any convenient sour'ceofpower is employed. I

About the base of the hollow shaft'c a cone isflprovided having members 7 spaced apart formingopenings through which wacentrifugal force, thus forming a constant To .thebase ofthe cone 7, a disc or pan 8 is secured inany approved manner as by ,teris received replacing that removed by 7 the bolt'9. The disc 8 is provided witha spiral rib 10, the, spiral being so positioned as to have a tendency to return the coarser metals toward'the center of the disc 8 and extendsfrom near the center of the discin its spiral whorls to approximately the edge of such disc; The disc 8' is provided with a central'opening 11 registering with the opening in the bottom; of the cone forming. an entrant opening for current of water.

. About the central disc 8 a pan is erected; f

such, pan being of various types accordingv tothedemands of the use andeach or any of said pans securedto the disc 8 by the bolt 12.

As shownin Figures 1 and 3, the pa n 13 is I slightly dishedfto correspond with thedish-i ingof the disc 8' and is provided between the disc Sandjit'speriphery withrifiies 14. The

edge of. the pan also-provided with rifiies is turned up as shown up at 15 with the flange inwardly turned to'form a groove or furrow theutility of which will be hereinafter more fully explained. I 7

Instead of employing the pan as shown at 13, the type of pan shownat Figure 4 may be employed having a plurality of steps formed of inclinedportions 16 and vertical row 18 is formed with a furrow 19 at its up- V per and outer periphery. The utility of the portions 17 WVithin the outer steps a fureral steps with vertical connecting walls 21 and grooves 23.

Also may be substituted the type of pan shown at Figure 6 wherein the inclined walls 24 and 25 are at a lesser angle to the horizontal and no vertical walls are employed, employing however inturned. flanges at 27 forming furrows the utility of which will be explained in connection with the like furrows and flanges in the other types.

The type ofpan shown at 28 may also be employed having one inclined wall 29 only with the furrow 30 formed therein and adjacent its upper and outer periphery.

Also the type of pan shown at 31 may be substituted having only a vertical wall 32 with the furrow or groove 33 formed adjacent its upper and outer periphery.

Whatever the type of pan employed a housing 34 is provided surrounding the pan, such housing being essentially a cylinder having about its lower edge an inwardly and upwardly turned spout 35 conforming to the circular formation of the housing but inclined toward one side and terminating in the discharge spout 35. The material to be separated may be fed into the pan as through a trough 53.

The discharge spout 35 discharges'into a hopper 36 which is formed integral with or communicates with a pipe 36 all preferably supported from the base 1 and shaft 2 by the brackets 37 and 38, some of which also may be employed to support the housing 34.

At its lower end the pipe 36 is rolled or turned to form a flange 39 and a shaft is eX- tended axially through the pipe 36 and provided at a point corresponding substantially with the lower end of the pipe 36 with propellers 41. The shaft is journaled in any approved manner as by the journalling spi ders 42 which also serves to maintain the shaft 40 in proper relation to the pipe 36 irrespective of other supporting elements.-

A iournalling spider 43 is also preferably provided at the hopper 36 and the shaft 40- is driven in any approved. manner here 'shown as by means of a pulley 44 and belt 44 driven from the low shaft 4.

Instead of employing the pipe 36"and its upturned flange 39, the pipe 36 may be employed having thereturn bend 46 as shown at Figure 2.

Secured to the pipe 36 in any approved manner as by the spider 47 is a receptacle 48 such connecting being accomplished in any approved manner as by the bolt 49. This repulley 45 upon the holceptacle 48 is intended to be removed from until the bottom of pan 8 is covered so that water will enter through hole 11 provided in the bottom for that purpose. Other means of supplying water to the center can of course be used. A pipe or nozzle 52 isprovided for discharging such running water from a suitable sourcenot shown into the pan and an oil way 53v isprovided for lubricating the rotatinghollow shaft 4.

In operating the type of" device shown particularly at'Figure 1' the pan 1 3i is rotated by the application of power thereto and. the material to be separated is placed near the center of the pan adjacent the cone. lVater if available is admitted through the nozzle 52. The rotation of the pan is at such a rate as to cause centrifugal force to act upon the content and serve to move it towardthe periphery. The tendency of the water aside from centrifugal force is to flow by gravity toward'the center of the pan and even when centrifugal force is acting thereupon it serves as aretarding of the movement of the material in the bottom of the pan. The centrifugal force, however, causes 7 the material together with the water to move towards the periphery except that the larger and heavier palrticles'of metal en gage against the spiral lOandjby reason of the rotation of the pan in the proper direc: tion and theretardinginfluence of the air and the water upon the particles those particles are returned toward the center. The

lighter particles and the water are carried by the centrifugal force toward the periphery of the pan over theriflies 14 into engagement with peripheral groove formed at 15. The continued, adding of material at the center of the pan and" the continual action of the material moving by centrifugal force from the center of the pan serves to introduce other and further material into the groove at the periphery. By this intro: duction of additional material at the p.- riphery it is obviousthat the heavier me-v tallic particles by kinetic energy will displace the lighter particles in such peripheral groove and seektheouter circumference of the circle. When the groove has beenfilled to overflowing it is obvious that it will be the lighter particles which will be dis charged over the periphery of the panand into engagement with the housing 34 the heavier particles of the metals remaining in the pan. 7

The material discharged over the peand spout 35 to the hopper 36 and by thepipe 36' to the receptacle 48, being agitated in transit by the agitators or propellers 41.

It is intended to partially fill the receptacle 48 with mercury so that the material passing downwardly through the pipe 36,

and propelled by the propellers 41 will pass through the mercury content of the receptacle the values to be retained by such mercury by the well known amalgamation process. 1

WVhen the activity of the mercury for amalgamating with other metals has been exhausted tothe desired degree the receptacle 48 is removed from its support and attached to the cover member 50 whereby a retort is formed and heat applied by which such retort will distil the mercury over through the pipe 51.

In the type of. pan shown at Figure 4 mercury is also introduced in the outer step in groove 18 and when the pan is rotated such mercury will be moved by centrifugal force into the groove 19. The several grooves formed by the inturned flanges 19 will serve to retain heavier particles just as described in regard to the groove 15 as shown at Figure 1 with the further utility that when the particles finally reach the outer groove they will be brought by kinetic energy into engagement with the mercury and the valuablemetals being heavierthan the waste material will be the parts which are brought into engagement with the mercury and will be amalgamated thereby, discharging the waste material or the material containing but a small fraction of valuables into engagement with the housing to be discharged into thereceptacle 48 for again being acted upon by the mercury.

In the types of pans shown at Figures 5, 6, 8 and 9no provision is made for the introduction of mercury into the pan but several grooves are provided for the receipt and retention of the heavier particles in locations where the valuable metals are comparatively free serves thepurpose admirably the amalgamation being resorted to only as a last step for finally extracting the very last fraction of valuable metals from the waste ma-. terials.

In desert locations or locations where water is not available the dry material is in-' troduced directly into the hopper 36 and fed to the mercury in the receptacle 48 whereby the amalgamation process is carried out;

The return bend to the pipe 36 as shown at Figure 2 may be substituted withinthe receptacle 48 and its upturned endcovered by the mercury content of the receptacle within a mercury seal.

tures.

which also, of course, provides mercury therefore, for the material passing out of thepipe 36 to escape into the receptacle '48 without passing through the mercury and to'be acted upon thereby. p

The explanation in regard to'the several pans already given will beunderstood in regard to the pans not specifically described.-

Furthermore if running water is not It is impossible,

available the machine may bepartially immersed in still water and the process will-be conducted exactly asabove described. I The flange 39 turned outwardly and upwardly at the bottom of the pipe 36' consti: tutes a seal when it is immersed in mercury. YVe'claim: 1. The combination in an ore separating pan of a centrifugal element, a counter-centrifugal element, a water supply operating centrifugally over the counter-centrifugal element, and a water supply operating counter-centrifugally over the centrifugal element.

2. The combination in an ore separating series of concentric rilfles arranged near the periphery, a counter-centrifugal element comprising a spiral rib arranged centrally 0f the pan, a water supply from the center of thepan washing outwardly over said spiral rib, and a water supply at the periphery washing inwardly over said rifiles.

'3. The combination with a centrifugal separating pan, having a central opening for the inflow of water, of means formed in the 7 bottom of said pan operatingin opposition to centrifugal force adapted to return a portion of the material toward the center of the disc. 7

4. The combination with a centrifugal separating pan, of means formed'at the periphery of the pan, adapted to intercept and retain the'heavier material while the lighter material overflows, said pan being provided with a central opening for the inflow of' water and means formed in said pan oper--' ating in opposition to centrifugal force adapted to return a part of said material towards the center of disc.

5. The combination with a centrifugal separating pan, of means formed adjacent of its periphery for receiving and retaining a body of amalgam-forming, material and means formed in the pan adapted to operate in opposition to centrifugal force to return 7 a part of said material toward the center of the disc.

FRANK L. CLIFT.

- In testimony whereof we affix our signa- STEPHEN ODELL. 

